You, Harold Antonio Sales y de la Rosa, Ph.D., are an idiot. I Harold thought as he stared blankly at his laptop. His lecture was over hours ago, but instead of focusing on creating his presentation, his mind kept drifting back to his earlier conversation with Rayne. Why did he say what he said? It felt like he was coming on to her.
But it was true. He was accommodating with people but not that accommodating. He would not spend countless nights making his ever-famous cheesecake just to feed an annoyed neighbor. He would not even make cheesecake almost every day as well as French vanilla coffee even if he had noticed that these were her favorites.
Also talking to her had him feel like he was still human. His work as a professor had him confined to a life of monotony to the point what he was doing was mechanical. There was his best friend Jasper, but having a woman listen to his frustrations about his work? None. When it comes to women, half of them fantasize about him while the other half try to act out their fantasies about him.
To have a woman like Rayne ignoring his existence and preferring his cheesecake and coffee was both refreshing as well as disorienting. Here was this half-asleep, cranky, and in-your-face neighbor who never hid the fact that she was only after his food and not him as a man.
This had him suddenly blurting out lines from cheesy romantic comedy movies that had him smacking himself on a wall.
"Of course, it's not like I do this to anyone."
Dammit! Harold cursed at himself. No matter how many times he played that conversation in his mind it sounded like he was coming on to her. He was not right?
Harold was not so sure anymore.
He decided that trying to make his next lecture would be pointless if he was too distracted to do so. He closed the laptop and went to his bed, thinking that a nap would calm his chaotic thoughts.
Thirty minutes later, Harold woke up and was about to take a shower but decided against it. He had been itching to try the gym in the complex but he was not able to find time due to his busy schedule. He changed into his workout clothes.
At the gym, Harold was relieved that he was alone. While he does not mind socializing with other gym rats like himself, he would prefer to do his workout alone as most of the people he talked to almost always end up flirting with him regardless of gender. They also disrupt his workout routine.
Once he was done, he went back to his unit and as he got in the elevator another man ran inside after him. Based on his pink and gray shirt and the logo of a panda on his right sleeve, Harold was very aware that this was a delivery rider from one of the most popular food delivery companies.
The rider nodded at him and he returned the gesture. Based on the paper bag's orange and red hamburger logo, it was obvious it came from a more popular food chain. Harold did not care about the name of the burger joint, but what shocked him was how big the paper bag was.
"That's one heck of an order." Harold blurted out of the blue.
The rider grinned. "Yup and it's always the usual order. My client loves plant-based chicken sandwiches and fries although she's not too keen on drinks."
Harold nodded politely.
The elevator doors opened and both men got out of the elevator. Harold went ahead of the rider and went to the door of his apartment. As he was keying his lock code, he glanced at the rider who walked past him and stopped in front of the door next to him.
Harold opened the door but did not enter as he saw Rayne coming out and greeting the rider with a friendly wave and had a blue surgical mask on. She grabbed the bag and paid him in cash and after another wave, she closed the door.
Why was he not surprised that the food was for Rayne? Harold also wondered how a lone woman could eat food fit for two people. Shrugging he entered his place. He had no business interfering with his neighbor's eating habits.
A few days later, Harold went out to the university and saw that another delivery rider, this time dressed in a green shirt was knocking on Rayne's door. Again? He thought. Does that woman even cook? As per usual, Rayne poked her head out of the doorway and this time she was not wearing a mask. She gave the rider a friendly smile and took the paper bag, which made Harold feel relieved that it was not as big as the first one.
In the middle of his shower, Harold caught himself asking why would he care what his neighbor ate? It was not like he was her dietitian or anything. He had no problems eating fast food, but having it constantly makes him sick. However, he could not help but be worried about her dietary habits.
Ah, screw it. He thought as he got out of the bathroom and snatched a towel from the rack, scrubbing his hair dry and not bothering to cover his lower half. He rubbed the rest of his body dry but did not get dressed. He opened his laptop and logged in. He left briefly to get dressed in a tank top and boxers then went back to his desk and began to work on his next lecture.
Harold was so engrossed in his work that he did not initially hear the knocking on his door until it got louder. Annoyed, he got off his desk and charged towards the door. He swung it open in such a force that the person on the other side jumped backward.
"Um, hi. Sorry, but did I come at the wrong time?" Rayne's wide eyes and uneasy demeanor made Harold feel like a heel.
"No, it's fine. What's up?"
She gave him a sheepish smile that had his heart hammering like the Mjolnir. She's lovely. He thought. It took him a few seconds to realize that she was handing him a cardboard take-out box. He hastily took it then stared at her in confusion. "What's this?"
"Food. It's the least I can do since you've been giving me free breakfast for the past few days. I can cook, I swear, but I just didn't have the time today." Rayne said as she ran a hand along her hair and gave him another sheepish smile.
"You didn't have to do this," Harold said as he looked at the box. It was a plain brown box but the contents inside were still warm.
"Oh, I don't mind. It's a way for me to welcome you to the neighborhood. So…welcome to the neighborhood."
Harold was touched. He was so busy setting his place and then later on with his work that he did not notice anyone giving him the usual welcome when someone moved into a new area.
As if reading his mind, Rayne let out a 'hmph' sound. "Thanks to the pandemic, most people are afraid to socialize, but no worries in time they will be aware of your existence."
"Ah right. Thanks for this."
"No problem."
"Would you like to join me?" Harold suddenly asked surprising himself and Rayne.
Rayne looked away for a moment then scratched the back of her head. "Thanks, but no. I got work tonight so I'm off to bed."
"Oh right. I forget you work in the evenings."
"Hee." She let out a laugh and then waved at him. "See you."
Harold waved back as he watched her bounce back to her unit while his inner self was screaming at him. What were you thinking!? Why did it sound like he was inviting her in for something else instead of the usual apology breakfasts he had been making for her? No wonder she looked uneasy and left as if the hounds of hell were after her.
Why was he so good at screwing things up with this particular woman? He really needed to work on his skills with women in the future. Harold looked at the takeout box he was carrying and could not help but smile. Despite her prickly nature, Rayne was a kind and sweet person. He really appreciated her gesture and felt more welcome compared to the first time he was introduced to the faculty and staff of the Biology Department five years ago. Was it because this felt more personal?
Harold did not know and right he did not care. For now, he did not have to cook anything for dinner this evening thanks to a kind woman next door.